Restaurant - The Gardener's Cottage - Newlands

23 January 2014 - This has become one of my favourite places for informal meetings. I love the setting under the beautiful trees, and the old farm house feeling.

Food: Had a delicious goats cheese, pecan nut salad. I have also had their poached eggs for breakfast previously, which was very tasty (and reasonably priced).

Drinks: My colleagues had the cranberry juice which they said was very refreshing and recommendable

Service: The ladies are always very friendly, sometimes a little bit slow with the bill though

Value for money: Average

Recommendable? Yes

Rating: 7/10

Website: www.dining-out.co.za/md/The-Gardeners-Cottage/707

Restaurant - Tasha's, Constantia Village

23 January 2014 - Tasha's is a great spot at Constantia Village to have a quick informal meeting. Personally for me, it is on the verge of being slightly pretentious - but with that said, I do like the food and tasteful décor.

Food: I did not have food today, but I know that their food is delicious, especially their salads.

Drinks: This time I only had a juice - carrot, pineapple and ginger, it seemed a bit pricey (R38, plus R5 for ginger), but it is incredibly refreshing!

Service: Andile our waiter was very attentive

Value for money: Average

Recommendable? Yes

Rating: 7/10

Website: www.tashas.co.za

 

Books - Instant Systems

January 2014 - I am a fan of the Instant Success series by Brad Sugars. He has invested and turned around MANY businesses and is a multi-multi-billion-dollar success, so I am more than happy to absorb and learn as much as possible from him. What I like about the books are that they are easy reads and there is always something to take from them.

For instance, I have just finished the Instant Systems book where he focusses on the importance of having structures in place to make sure that service delivery on all spheres is consistent. This is especially important for us as we have offices across the country. So we have slowly but surely started documenting all our processes and now have a step-by-step guide for almost everything! I can attest to the incredibly positive impact it has had on how we function as a team to deliver on and be the  "Swiss Army knife" of business communication!

Restaurant - Pirates Pub & Grill, Hout Bay

18 January 2014 - Ok so this is not a new restaurant that I've not been to before, but I thought that I would still add it. Pirates is a stones throw from where we stay, so after a busy morning, a burger and beer was the easiest option to hit the spot. We prefer sitting outside - inside is a bit dark and grubby - typical pub.

Food: They have the most amazing ribs - fall off the bone delicious! (highly recommendable). However, today we opted for a burger each. I had the (grated) cheese burger and my better half, the Jack Sparrow burger (cheese, bacon, avo and an egg). They have the most amazing crispy chips - but you have to ask for it specifically. Unfortunately the chips today were not that great and did not live up to expectations.

Drinks: They have draft beers Hansa, Castle and Windhoek.

Service: The service was OK, lovely friendly waitress.

Value for money: Good value for money. (The ribs are quite pricey - but there is always enough for left overs)

Recommendable? Yes, for a quick unpretentious relaxed meal

Rating: 6/10

Website: www.piratessteakhouse.co.za

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02 August 2014 - Another lazy Saturday afternoon, we headed to Pirates. Although the interior is a bit grubby, and a pub scene not really my thing, their food is delicious!

Food: Today I opted for something totally different, their rib and rump combo; their ribs are the best! Fall off the bone delicious and the rump was cooked perfectly (my personal choice is 'rare'). It is a huge portion. The chips were wonderfully crispy. The better half had a 'Blackbeard'd Rump' - this is prime rump topped with bacon, cheddar and black mushroom sauce, which he said tasted delicious.

Drinks: They have draft beers Hansa, Castle and Windhoek.

Service: The service was good today; friendly efficient waitress.

Value for money: Good value for money.

Recommendable? Yes, for a quick unpretentious relaxed meal

Rating: 6/10

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Restaurant - La Belle at The Alphen Boutique Hotel

17 January 2014 - It is a beautiful location. It was a gorgeous clear sunning Summer afternoon, so it was wonderful to sit outside under the magnificent trees.

Food: There were two of us. My colleague had a quiche that came with a salad, and I had a chicken and brie sandwich on health bread. The food was very tasty.

Drinks: Their fresh fruit juices are delicious - I had the carrot / chilli one - very refreshing. The chilli may be a bit overpowering for some, but I quite liked it.

Service: The service was mediocre - not the fastest. I had asked for a glass of water that never arrived (which would have been nice especially with the chilli juice). It also took some time to get the bill at the end.

Value for money: For the food, including a tip it cost R290 - so, a bit pricey, but we both battled to finish our portions.

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October 2014 - Recently Sidekick and I decided to go here for lunch; his first visit.

FOOD - he opted for the pork belly, and raved about it, so much so that he has given it 10/10! I had a piece of the crackling, and it was delicious.

I opted for their fish cakes on the recommendation of the waiter. It was quite tasty, but found the sauce just a bit over powering. It was tasty, but not WOW. Perhaps I just had food envy with Mark's delicious pork he was digging into.

DRINKS - I had their fruit juice with chilli, this one was a lot less burny than the last time - very tasty. I also had a glass of their Durbanville Hills Chardonnay, a bit underwhelmed by it.


SERVICE - fair

VALUE FOR MONEY - eating out has become pricey, but I don't mind paying if the food is cooked well, and both portions were decent in size.

Recommendable? Yes, love sitting outside under the trees.

Rating: 7/10

Website - www.alphen.co.za/labelle.php

Book: Die Groot Verlange - Die Verhaal van Eugene Marais

Die Groot Verlange...meer soos die groot depressie.

After reading Long Walk to Freedom, which I thoroughly enjoyed (highly highly recommendable). I was eager to read another biography of someone that I had understood to be quite a dynamic figure in the South African literature and medical field.

Unfortunately I felt like swimming in syrup right from the beginning.  What a sad life this poor guy had - but I suppose at the end of the day we all have choices and our life is based on decisions we make. He no doubt had a brilliant mind - messed up by his morphine addiction. The whole book felt all too over dramatic.

Lesson from the book: Stay away from Morphine

Recommendable? Sadly this is not a book that I can recommend - I think there are a lot of other books to rather curl up with.

Rating: 4/10